Narrative:

Have flown into las 6 or more yrs ago. Started flying into las again recently, but just a few times. Use commercial charts tailored to our airline. Ramp areas have a ramp control that control aircraft on certain ramp areas. Returning to las and not really familiar with airport procedures, found charts not very helpful for actual operations. Prior to operating into unfamiliar airports, I usually review diagrams and any published procedures. Some airports offer excellent and practical information, las information is very general and unspecific. Could not really guess what to expect. Of course most of my flying into airport was at night. I found taxiway markings were very poor, especially around the ramp area. The ramp is just a wide expanse of concrete in the vicinity of the C concourse and some of the other concourses. At night didn't really see any yellow lines to guide aircraft along ramp area. There was no clear designation of where the ramp ends and where the movement areas (active txwys) begin. There are ramp spots, but they are difficult to see up close and impossible from a distance. The ramp areas have areas bounded by double yellow lines that are usable by aircraft (aircraft are parked there at times). Those areas make it more confusing to taxi, especially if you're not familiar with the layout. Solutions: some route guidance lines many airports have to guide aircraft through large ramp areas. Positive and obvious markings to identify when moving from movement area to nonmovement area and vice versa. Just painting bright, large lines would work great -- especially if they are repainted often. Also, showing boundaries of the nonmovement area on the airport diagrams would be very helpful.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FO OF A B737-300 FOUND LESS THAN ADEQUATE RAMP AND TXWY MARKINGS FOR GUIDANCE TO AND FROM RAMP AREAS. DIFFICULT TO SEE WHERE THE RAMP ENDED AND A TXWY MOVEMENT AREA STARTED.

Narrative: HAVE FLOWN INTO LAS 6 OR MORE YRS AGO. STARTED FLYING INTO LAS AGAIN RECENTLY, BUT JUST A FEW TIMES. USE COMMERCIAL CHARTS TAILORED TO OUR AIRLINE. RAMP AREAS HAVE A RAMP CTL THAT CTL ACFT ON CERTAIN RAMP AREAS. RETURNING TO LAS AND NOT REALLY FAMILIAR WITH ARPT PROCS, FOUND CHARTS NOT VERY HELPFUL FOR ACTUAL OPS. PRIOR TO OPERATING INTO UNFAMILIAR ARPTS, I USUALLY REVIEW DIAGRAMS AND ANY PUBLISHED PROCS. SOME ARPTS OFFER EXCELLENT AND PRACTICAL INFO, LAS INFO IS VERY GENERAL AND UNSPECIFIC. COULD NOT REALLY GUESS WHAT TO EXPECT. OF COURSE MOST OF MY FLYING INTO ARPT WAS AT NIGHT. I FOUND TXWY MARKINGS WERE VERY POOR, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE RAMP AREA. THE RAMP IS JUST A WIDE EXPANSE OF CONCRETE IN THE VICINITY OF THE C CONCOURSE AND SOME OF THE OTHER CONCOURSES. AT NIGHT DIDN'T REALLY SEE ANY YELLOW LINES TO GUIDE ACFT ALONG RAMP AREA. THERE WAS NO CLR DESIGNATION OF WHERE THE RAMP ENDS AND WHERE THE MOVEMENT AREAS (ACTIVE TXWYS) BEGIN. THERE ARE RAMP SPOTS, BUT THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE UP CLOSE AND IMPOSSIBLE FROM A DISTANCE. THE RAMP AREAS HAVE AREAS BOUNDED BY DOUBLE YELLOW LINES THAT ARE USABLE BY ACFT (ACFT ARE PARKED THERE AT TIMES). THOSE AREAS MAKE IT MORE CONFUSING TO TAXI, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE LAYOUT. SOLUTIONS: SOME RTE GUIDANCE LINES MANY ARPTS HAVE TO GUIDE ACFT THROUGH LARGE RAMP AREAS. POSITIVE AND OBVIOUS MARKINGS TO IDENT WHEN MOVING FROM MOVEMENT AREA TO NONMOVEMENT AREA AND VICE VERSA. JUST PAINTING BRIGHT, LARGE LINES WOULD WORK GREAT -- ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE REPAINTED OFTEN. ALSO, SHOWING BOUNDARIES OF THE NONMOVEMENT AREA ON THE ARPT DIAGRAMS WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.